A gathering of 70 community members, including government officials, Worcester business owners, and representatives of the Clark University School of Business and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), last week celebrated the opening of the Small Business Accelerator program at the Idea Lab on Franklin Street.

At the September 12 ribbon-cutting ceremony, SBDC Director Thomas Herald said of the downtown space, “We want to be able to work with small businesses of all sizes. What we want to be able to do is engage the community here.”

Herald credited the student-run Clark Consulting Group for helping the SBDC augment the services it provides to prospective and current business owners.

“Quite frankly, I don’t know how we could handle the number of clients that we do have and the depth of the projects [without the CCG],” Herald said. “When you get down into finance and marketing and business analytics, the details that are required to operate a business and be competitive in today’s economy … you really need to be on the cutting edge. These students help us to maintain that cutting edge with innovation and thought, and also a youthful approach to talking with businesses.”

Clark President David Fithian, a member of the Class of 1987, noted that the Small Business Development Center, which has been housed at Clark since 1983, was a fixture on campus when he was a student.

“When I came back as president, one of the first things I really thought about was how important it could be for Clark to have a presence downtown,” Fithian said. “I’m tremendously proud as an alum and as president of Clark of the rich history of engagement between the University and the city, particularly with partners in the Main South neighborhood. And I believe it’s important that we not just rest on the laurels of that rich history, but that we build on it to even greater strength and with even greater partnership.”

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The location for the Small Business Accelerator is convenient for area business leaders to meet with the SBDC and members of the Clark Consulting Group, who can assist them with anything from marketing research to business planning and financial analysis.

“I can’t imagine having a better group of students and fellow colleagues at Clark to make that dream possible,” said David Jordan, dean of Clark’s School of Business. He noted that the Accelerator offers Clark students real-world learning opportunities as they help meet the needs of the local business community.

Tim Murray, president of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber represents 2,100 member businesses in Worcester and in all 40 communities in Central Mass. in Southern Worcester County, 80-85% of which are small businesses.

“Having not only the Small Business Development Center at Clark but now the Accelerator, is a force multiplier for each and every one of those businesses that need that extra assistance, technical consulting help, and research that is so vital for these businesses not only to survive, but to grow and prosper,” said Murray.

Sen. Robyn Kennedy, MPA ’21, praised Clark and its partners, including the Worcester Chamber of Commerce and the Worcester Business Development Corporation, for partnering in “new and innovative ways.”

“We know that the world has changed, and to ensure that every resident in our community has the ability to truly thrive, we have to do things differently,” Kennedy said. “We have to challenge convention, and this is really about doing just that.”